Tag - mlit

 
 

MLIT

A ride-hailing service vehicle in Sendai. In times of disasters, such services will be available more widely.
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2024
Japan to allow use of ride-hailing services in disasters
Demand for transportation tends to increase during disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, as well as in the recovery and reconstruction process.
Demolition works were still being carried out on July 1 in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, six months after the New Year's Day earthquake in the Noto Peninsula.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2024
Land ministry highlights disaster reduction measures in budget request
The budget request is up 18.1% from the previous year at ¥7.03 trillion.
A huge seawall has been constructed along a coast in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2024
Infrastructure ministry to boost aid for port flood prevention
The ministry also plans to provide tax breaks to companies working on raising seawalls systematically.
High-rise buildings under construction in Tokyo in November last year
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2024
Japan looks to expand preferential measures for Flat 35 home loans
The measures to lower interest rates for those who acquire energy-efficient or earthquake-resistant houses are currently applied only to newly made loan contracts.
The land ministry is planning to create a system in which the central and local governments would evenly shoulder part of the demolition costs that condominium management associations should pay.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2024
Japanese government to subsidize demolition of old condo buildings
The land ministry is planning to subsidize such demolitions from the fiscal year beginning April 2025.
Transport ministry officials enter the Kobe plant of Kawasaki Heavy Industries for an on-site inspection on Thursday.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2024
Transport ministry raids Kawasaki Heavy over ship engine test tampering
The firm has admitted inappropriately tweaked testing equipment to keep emissions data within ranges of customer specifications and reduce the variance of data.
Above part of the photo shows an empty land lot in the city of Kobe and the bottom part shows it was turned into an temporary evacuation area.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 15, 2024
Land ministry to support empty land utilization
The ministry plans to seek the necessary funds under the government's fiscal 2025 budget.
A Hokuriku Shinkansen train runs through the city of Fukui. Three options have been presented for an extended route from the Tsuruga to Shin-Osaka stations.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2024
Hokuriku Shinkansen extension to come with ballooning costs
Three options were shown for the bullet train line extension, but all were forecast to cost more than initial estimates.
Toyota Motor has been issued a correction order for the first time.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 31, 2024
Toyota Motor receives correction order from transport ministry
The ministry found indications of additional misconduct, such as falsifying test results.
Disaster response vehicles parked at a roadside rest station at Noto Airport in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 17.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2024
Japan to pick more roadside stations for disaster relief
The ministry plans to increase the number of such roadside stations to about 100 from the current 39 so that each of the country's 47 prefectures will have one or two.
Inspectors at the Kanto District Transport Bureau in Yokohama make calls to companies to check on the working conditions in the logistics industry earlier this month.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 25, 2024
Japan's 'truck G-Men' issued guidance over 700 times in first year
The government inspectors check on working conditions in the logistics sector and monitor cases involving violations until the causes are resolved.
A truck driven by a drunk man collided with a group of schoolchildren and killed two pupils in Yachimata, Chiba Prefecture, in June 2021.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 15, 2024
Japan to toughen penalties over drunken truck drivers
The annual number of traffic accidents caused by drunken truck drivers has remained between 30 and 50 a year since 2012.
If implemented, the autonomous freight lanes would reduce congestion by up to 35,000 vehicles per day.
BUSINESS
Jul 9, 2024
Transport ministry eyes autonomous lanes to ease freight crisis
The lanes would allow the transportation of small parcels between cities using unmanned carts, and help ease a driver shortage in the logistics sector.
The government will cover up to 50% of construction expenses for four takeoff and landing sites for flying cars, subject to a cap of ¥50 million ($313,500) per site.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 25, 2024
Japan to subsidize construction of first vertiports for flying cars
Post-construction, the transport ministry will use operational and utilization data from the facilities to develop guidelines for the construction of future vertiports.
A new post has been proposed for coordinating takeoffs and landings at major airports' traffic controls.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2024
Japanese ministry proposes new air traffic coordinator post
The new post was drawn up in response to a collision between a Japan Airlines passenger jet and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Haneda Airport on Jan. 2.
Between November and May, five major incidents involving Japan Airlines aircraft were reported, prompting the transport ministry to issue the airline a stern warning and conduct an on-site inspection at its facilities late last month.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2024
JAL vows to raise crew safety awareness following emergency probe
The airline promised to implement measures to prevent a recurrence of recent months' safety lapses in order to regain the trust of passengers.
Officials from the transport ministry arrive for an inspection at Toyota headquarters in the city of Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 5, 2024
Toyota car certification probe prompts calls for rules review
Despite revisions since the standards were enacted in 1951, regulations haven’t kept up with the times, an analyst wrote in a report.
Transport ministry officials head to Toyota's headquarters in Aichi Prefecture on Tuesday for on-site inspections.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 4, 2024
Auto certification in spotlight as Toyota raided over data tampering
Questions have emerged over whether Japan's regulatory standards and their subjective interpretation might be hindering automakers.
Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda apologizes during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2024
Japan's auto-testing scandal deepens, resulting in some shipment halts
Toyota and four other Japanese automakers have admitted to falsifying testing data and performing tests under inappropriate conditions, among other infractions.
Transport minister Tetsuo Saito speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday after meeting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
JAPAN
May 31, 2024
Government defers decision on ride-hailing services
Some officials from the transport ministry and Komeito are strongly opposed to fully lifting the current ban.

Longform

A store clerk tries to cool things down in front of their shop by spraying a hose.
Is extreme weather changing the way Japan shops?